Arianna Jefferson is just two months into her first year at Case Western Reserve University’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. And she already has a month of clinical experience under her belt.
Let’s follow her experience so far…
Late August
- Arrived at CWRU from the Chicago area.
Early September
- “We had orientation and training to get comfortable with hospital systems and charting systems. We learned how to communicate with patients and other health care providers and had conversations about providing dignity and empathy for patients.”
Mid-September
- Got her first hospital badge (“Oh my gosh I’m in this for real. This is the beginning of this thing I’ve been wanting to do for so long.”), and began her first clinical rotation, in the medical surgical unit (or med surg, as she calls it) at University Hospitals.
Mid-October
- “I can take vitals, bathe patients and similar tasks. I recently fed a patient who was unable to feed themselves. One of the more difficult parts of nursing is interacting with patients who are in a vulnerable position. It helps getting that experience in my first semester because it helps me overcome that anxiety.”
Today
- “What wasn’t on my radar until I got to CWRU is how expansive nursing is. I have options. I’m considering maybe a master's in nursing administration and being on the business side of health care.”
Watch a video to hear more from Arianna.
And that’s just the first two months. Imagine where she (and you) will be in four years.